[Quality of life after cochlear implantation in postlingually deaf adults].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the quality of life after cochlear implantation in adult cochlear implant recipients and to assess the applicability of Nijmegen Cochlear implant Questionnaire (NCIQ).


METHODS
Thirty-two postlingually deaf patients, 19 males and 13 females, underwent cochlear implantation with the age at operation of 35.27 (18-66) during the period from 1996 to the end of 2006. NCIQ was used to investigate the application of the equipment, hearing ability, and emotional exchange ability.


RESULTS
All of the patients used their cochlear implants for 16 h every day on average with an experience in using such implant of more than 6 months. Improvement was seen in sound recognition, speech recognition, confidence, daily life, social exchange, and emotional behavior ability at different degrees. The improvement of confidence was very obvious. The speech communication ability of those with a hearing deprivation time longer than 5 years was lower than that of those with a shorter hearing deprivation time. Age and educational level did not influence the efficiency.


CONCLUSIONS
Cochlear implantation is a cost effective intervention in the postlingually deaf adults. NCIQ test can be used to evaluate the quality of life among postlingually deaf adult cochlear implant recipients in China.
Liu
Bo
B
Beijing Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Capital Medical University, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100730, China.
Chen
Xue-Qing
XQ
Kong
Ying
Y
Li
Yong-Xin
YX
Mo
Ling-Yan
LY
Zheng
Jun
J
Liu
Sha
S
Chen
Zhen-Shan
ZS
Han
De-Min
DM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D003638:Deafness / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult